SABIC, a global leader in the chemical industry, has announced the successful commercialization of an anti-fog film it designed especially for COVID-19 protection equipment, such as safety face shields and goggles, used in frontline work environments.
Lexan HP92AF features a one-sided coating that extends the time-to-fog even at very high ambient humidity, ensuring long-lasting optical clarity. The product has confirmed its superior anti-fog performance in extensive testing under the harshest conditions. It does not exhibit any hazing at saturation as could be observed with competitive materials. Moreover, the anti-fog coating technology has no compromising effect on the abrasion resistance and impact strength of the polycarbonate film.
“We have identified a gap in the market when it comes to the effective protection of frontline workers against the COVID-19 pathogen. In work environments subjected to sudden temperature changes and high humidity, visors and safety goggles often fail to provide adequate long-term anti-fog performance. This forces workers to either not wear such visors and safety goggles at all or to take these off for frequent wiping,” said Ahmet Kizilirmakli, senior business manager Americas, SABIC.
“Our new Lexan HP92AF anti-fog film offers the solution many companies have been looking for. Excellent optical quality and high-impact strength of polycarbonate combined with our advanced anti-fog technology make the product the ultimate choice for face shields and other clear view personal protection equipment with long-lasting optical clarity in these environments,” he added.
Besides visors, face masks and safety goggles, other targeted applications include motorcycle visors, ski goggles, automotive cluster lenses, medical instrument lenses and displays as well as industrial lenses.
SABIC’s new anti-fog film product shows excellent die cutting and printability. The anti-fog film is thermoformable and withstands repeated cleaning with lukewarm water, mild soap solutions, or common glass cleaners.
With a width of 48 inches, Lexan HP92AF is globally available in a wide range of gauges from 7 to 30 mil (178 to 752 µm).
“The rapid commercialization of Lexan HP92AF anti-fog film underscores our commitment to helping our customers enhance the protection of frontline workers against COVID-19,” said Mark Troszak, film segment leader at SABIC.
“In high-humidity environments, the time-to-fog makes a difference. This product can ensure optimum optical clarity over extended periods, allowing the users of face shields and other transparent safety equipment to concentrate on their jobs safely without being impaired by fogging,” he added.
Troszak said that SABIC has the capability to satisfy customer-specific requirements by adapting this technology to other existing Lexan-coated film solutions.
